Chapter 2: Willowdark, A Village Renewed

Geran's pair of eldritch blasts slam into the leader, sending him staggering a step or two forward with a heavy OOMPH escaping his lips. Unfortunately for Rixon, this misstep puts his swing off, sending it just wide of the man. Thorolf, taking an extra moment to breathe, sends a bolt that slices across the man's cheek. As he turns to find the ranged threat, Xaar charges in, greataxe whistling through the air, slicing through armor and flesh to draw a welt of blood up. Kaio leaps near the man, trying to slash and punch his way to victory, missing horribly. Jean shouts at Xaar to swing her axe again, and she grunts, twisting heavily to bring her blade back across the man, crisscrossing her previous strike.

The lackeys move forward, attacking Xaar, Rixon, and Kaio. The leader draws his scimitar, swinging at Xaar twice, before trying to make a quick jab with his dagger.

The leader manages a scimitar slash and a dagger jab on Xaar as his lackey slashes her back, but in her rage, she turns aside a fair amount of the damage, taking only 8 total. Rixon is hit by the lackey attacking him (17 to hit), dealing 7 damage! The man attacking Kaio cannot find his footing with the monk's fluid motion and misses his slash.

Combat You are all up!

Thorolf's arrow sails wide of the mark, skiffing off a rock in the distance. Geran, however, blasts the man square once more, knocking his breath out and sending him into a hunched over wheeze. Rixon, seeing the opportunity, steps forward, missing barely with his first strike. However, on his second blow, the blade slides into a slice opened by Xaar's axe. You see a bloodied silver point burst through his back as his weapons fall from his hands and he goes to grasp the cold steel buried in his chest. His eyes go wide with shock and disbelief before rolling back into his skull.

Xaar, Kaio, and Jean all turn to attack the remaining men.

Kaio's sword strikes one man square on the arm, causing his blade to drop to the dirt. His follow-up elbow misses its mark.
Jean's swing is turned aside by his lackey.
Xaar, still fuming in her rage strikes hard enough to leave the man's body nearly severed in two.

The disarmed man drops to his knees and raises his hands. The other man drops his weapons and also falls to his knees.

We yield! Mercy, MERCY! the second man yells. The large satchel that the lackeys dropped thrashes around on the ground and you hear pained cries coming out of the package.

Combat Over We are technically out of init as they surrendered. You can do with them what you'd like.

As you approach the bag, it looks to be about five feet long and definitely moving like a person is inside. It's got heavy leather ties at the top. A rugged, if a little crude, padlock is latched through steel eyelets set into leather patches, keeping the bag securely closed. The bag looks to be made of a very thick canvas and has a stiffened leather bottom.

Keys? I ain't got no keys man. He always kept all the important stuff like. He might have 'em. the man says, voice very fast and very nervous as he gestures to the glassy-eyed leader bleeding in the dirt.

The dirt beneath them immediately floods into a slightly darker shade of brown as liquid dampens their pants.

You can easily find a ring laden with keys tucked inside his cloak.